Abortion procedures sometimes result in live births
the verdict
SUPPORTED
the evidence backs this
refutedsupported
the weight of evidence
2 sources for · 0 against
AS REPORTEDno primary record reached; this is what the reporting says
Reference and peer-reviewed literature document that live births can occasionally occur following attempted abortions or late terminations of pregnancy without feticide.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the rate of live birth and the duration of survival after termination of pregnancy without feticide. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 241 terminations of pregnancy without feticide for fetal anomalies or genetic abnormalities between 20 0/7 and 24 0/7 weeks of gestation at a single tertiary care referral center in Europe between February 2003 and May 2017. A multivariate binary regression model was used to evaluate factors associated with live birth. RESULTS: Pregnancies were terminated at a mean gestational age of 22.1±1.1 completed weeks of gestation. Median birth weight was 440 g (range 141-1,890 g). Live birth occurred in 122 cases (50.6%, 95% CI 44.4-56.8); median survival time was 32 minutes (range 1-267 minutes). Factors associated with live birth were gestational age at labor induction (odds ratio 1.41, 95% CI 1.01-2.01; P=.049) and fetal anomalies (P=.046). CONCLUSION: After termination of pregnancy without feticide between 20 0/7 and 24 0/7 weeks of gestation, the live birth rate was 50.6% (95% CI 44.4-56.8). A lower gestational age at labor induction and the presence of skeletal, cerebral, renal, or multiple fetal anomalies increased the chance of stillbirth.
Live births following abortion attempts refer to a rare phenomenon in which an infant is born alive during or after an attempted termination of pregnancy
Live births following abortion attempts refer to a rare phenomenon in which an infant is born alive during or after an attempted termination of pregnancy (induced abortion). These cases may occur in two contexts: when an attempted abortion fails and the pregnancy continues to term, resulting in a live birth; or when a late termination of pregnancy results in the expulsion or delivery of an infant
Live births following abortion attempts refer to a rare phenomenon in which an infant is born alive during or after an attempted termination of pregnancy (induced abortion). These cases may occur in two contexts: when an attempted abortion fails and the pregnancy continues to term, resulting in a live birth; or when a late termination of pregnancy results in the expulsion or delivery of an infant exhibiting signs of life.
Abortion is largely effective at terminating a pregnancy and precluding live birth. For example, the efficacy of medication abortion via the mifepristone/misoprostol regimen early in pregnancy is over 98%, though the efficacy declines as pregnancy progresses. A live birth following an attempted abortion, while overall uncommon, is most likely to occur with the labor induction abortion method, an abortion procedure used in the later second and third trimesters of pregnancy. It is particularly likely to occur if a feticidal injection is omitted or unsuccessful.
The concept of live births following abortion attempts is a recurring topic in the abortion debate. Individuals born under these circumstances are sometimes referred to as “abortion survivors” in media and political contexts. In response, policymakers in several countries have proposed laws addressing the phenomenon of infants being born alive after attempted abortions. While most such infants do not survive long after birth, a small number have lived into later childhood or adulthood.
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